Dallas Crews Install Free Smoke Alarms to Local Residents After Fatal House Fire

By JASON EVANSCorrespondent

1st Responder Newspaper

Story Number042117102

Disclaimer:
This article is a direct street report from our correspondent and has not been edited by the 1st Responder newsroom.

By Dallas Fire-Rescue

By Dallas Fire-Rescue

By Dallas Fire-Rescue

By Dallas Fire-Rescue

By Dallas Fire-Rescue

Dallas, TX - On the morning of Thursday, April 20th, DFR Fire Inspectors started canvassing the streets (Huff Trail, Redstart Lane and Chantilly Lane), surveying between 80-90 homes of the Lakewood Community where a recent house fire, in the 6900 block of Redstart Lane, claimed the life of a resident in his mid-60’s.

Fire Inspectors visited 74 homes and installed 22 smoke alarms. There were some homes that already had the necessary smoke alarms and some that didn't; but for the majority of visits, no one was home (due in part to a neighborhood meeting at an undisclosed location).

Background: DFR responded to the fire early Tuesday morning, April 18th. A senior couple and their dog were in the house when the fire began; but only the wife was able to make it out safely. Though the cause of the fire is undetermined, pending a final ruling on the cause of death from the Medical Examiner’s Office, it is important to note that the home was not equipped with working smoke alarms.

Considering that 65% of home fire deaths occur in homes with no smoke alarms at all, or no working smoke alarms, there is a strong possibility that the outcome of this incident could have turned out differently if smoke alarms had alerted the occupants. This, in addition to other fire safety matters, is what we hope to communicate to the community going forward.